Springfield Armory: Two Centuries of American Arms Making
By Weapons.com Editorial Team · Published
How the first national armory went from a Revolutionary War arsenal to a pioneer of American manufacturing, and how you can visit it today.
For nearly two centuries, Springfield Armory in Springfield, Massachusetts, made the rifles and muskets carried by American forces. Today it's a National Historic Site run by the National Park Service.
From arsenal to national armory
According to the National Park Service, Springfield began as a major arsenal under the authority of General George Washington early in the Revolutionary War. As the first national armory, it began manufacturing muskets in 1794.
A forge of innovation
The armory's influence went beyond the weapons it made. The Park Service notes that within decades, Springfield Armory had perfected pioneering manufacturing methods that were critical to American industrialization.
The 20th century
Springfield engineers designed and built some of the best-known American military rifles, including the M1 rifle developed by John Garand. During the buildup to World War II, the NPS reports that the armory's budget grew 250% in 1940 and its workforce reached about 7,500 people. Read more in our M1 Garand history.
Closing and reopening
The armory closed in 1968, after nearly two centuries of continuous production. It reopened in 1978 as the Springfield Armory National Historic Site. Its original 1840s arsenal building houses what the Park Service describes as the world's largest collection of historic American military firearms. The site also offers a serial-number lookup for firearms made at Springfield.
Learn more
If historic military arms interest you, our collecting guide explains how collectors think about age, condition and provenance. Federal and state rules on owning and transferring older firearms vary, so check state firearm laws before buying.